Metal Mix Tape Volume 6
Let there be metal! Have a look to see who made Metal Mix Tape Volume Six:
The Plot In You are Landon Tewers [vocals], Josh Childress [guitar], Ethan Yoder [bass], and Michael Cooper [drums] — have shared the video for their newest single Left Behind.
The song is gorgeously mercurial — shifting from upbeat to pensive to ballistic — and it nods to some sonic inspirations. It’s also lyrically introspective, as is expected from the band.
“Left Behind was inspired by old nostalgic bands and artists I grew up listening to,” says Tewers. “I wanted to make something as a tribute to that sound and hopefully elevate it. It’s a song about gaining back confidence and hope after cutting off a person that was draining and moving forward with a fresh perspective.”
Time stood still tonight when the calendar shifted into a new day: February 10th marked the beginning of a new era not only for Swedish modern metal visionaries IN FLAMES but for the whole metal community. The date marks the release of the band’s fourteenth studio album Foregone – the new masterpiece from a band whose artistry and influence on modern metal is undeniable.
Foregone, the furious new studio album, combines the greatest aggressive, metallic, and melodic strengths of their landmark records with the seasoned song writing of their contemporary era.
A sense of pride, accomplishment, and continued vitality are evident every time the band takes the stage, and all over Foregone. The album itself represents IN FLAMES past, present, and future.
“We are very proud to finally share this album with you. Everything from our past, present and a brief glimpse into the future is laid out in these songs. Can’t wait to bring these songs to life on the road and play them for everyone. See you all very soon! – Anders, Bjorn, Chris, Bryce and Tanner”
To celebrate the release, IN FLAMES release a masterful lyric video for their new song End The Transmission.
Following a return to their heavier roots with 2022 single Show Me Your God, The Amity Affliction have released their new track I See Dead People. The track features kiwi rapper Louie Knuxx, a close friend of the band, who sadly passed away in 2021 of a heart attack.
Frontman Joel Birch details the new single as being deeply personal, lyrically delving into “the ongoing and nebulous struggle that comes with dealing with the pain of friends killing themselves, while myself dealing with passive suicidal ideation.”
After selling out a national headline tour in support of their latest album Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them, The Amity Affliction performed at Good Things Festival in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane alongside the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Deftones, Gojira and more. In 2021, the band released a trio of singles – Like Love, Give Up The Ghost, and Somewhere Beyond The Blue.
Connecticut metalcore dynamos CURRENTS have announced their new album The Death We Seek. It will arrive on May 5 via SharpTone. The band has also shared the video for Remember Me.
“‘Remember Me’ is a statement to our growing divide between one another,” says singer Brian Wille. “The dark side to technology’s double-edged-sword is access to a font of information and public discourse, curated to engagement, and skewed to individual interest and world-view. The further we go in, the further we’re separated from the middle ground and impartial truths. Over the course of the Internet’s existence and the rise of social media empires, we’re beginning to fracture our relationships with one another over anything we can fight about, even going as far as to relish in the chaos and division. You can see the exact same event and come out with instant, infinite perspectives across the ideological spectrum; painted on a mass public forum accessible to billions of people. Driven further by algorithms and advertising, poison can spread quickly and have lasting outcomes on how we see each other and the world around us.”
He finishes, “While disagreement and debate are not new, nor the real enemy here, we’ve all felt a particular strain to our closest ties over the last three years. This song is the release of that frustration and loss, and a call to find what brings us together and work through what set us apart. Whether it’s a personal issue or an ideological impasse, we can all do better to practice empathy, understanding, and trust in those around us; that’s the only way we can collectively see through what’s real, and what’s interest-driven spectacle.“
Swedish industrial cult act DEATHSTARS finally return with their latest sonic output Everything Destroys You, which will be released on May 5th through Nuclear Blast Records.
Their first release in over eight years marks a long-awaited comeback, spotlighting everything that is DEATHSTARS: adrenaline, bombast, sex & glam!
“The reason it’s been taking so long is that we simply wanted – and needed – a break after intense touring and so on, and on top of that the pandemic happened so tours were postponed and the release with them, so it feels fantastic to finally be able to present Everything Destroys You”, says Nightmare Industries.
The band are celebrating their return with an amazing video for the first single This Is.
Frontman Whiplasher Bernadotte stated about the video: “We had a lot of discussions regarding the first video. At some point it was going to be filmed in Mexico City, the next day Paris or Belgrade but we ended up just filming it in Stockholm, where we live. It was kind of a slimmed down production, shooting for a couple of days in the old slaughterhouse area in Stockholm.
We wanted to do a video with no green screen or blue box, just a straightforward rock video that illustrates what this band is about in less than four minutes. It was weird shooting it where we did. We actually filmed it in “Slaktkyrkan”, which means “The slaughter church”, and the scenario… well, in one corner you could see a very androgynous looking Cat in high heels with a lot of weird lights all around him, in another corner Nightmare strapped to some fence in a straitjacket, then we had Skinny with a chainsaw and an angle grinder – just decapitating mannequins, Nitro toiling in a sea of fire and drums, and also me with my 130 kilo python, who is 6,30 meters long and her name is Cruella. Interesting creature! She was very heavy to walk around with; sliding around my shoulders and constantly licking my neck with her tongue. We had a good time.”
GRAMMY Award-winning Iowan icons SLIPKNOT have shared Bone Church, a surprise standalone single available today on all streaming platforms. The new song arrives with a M. Shawn ‘clown’ Crahan directed video piece titled Yen – Director’s Cut (Bone Church) which finds the multidisciplinary artist and founding member refreshing footage from the band’s “Yen” music video.
Says clown about the new track, “On the road, we have a “jam room” set up backstage at every show, where we play, practice, warm up and sometimes try out new ideas. Bone Church started life in a jam room on the .5: The Gray Chapter tour. We’ve been bringing it closer and closer to life ever since, and finally, here it is. This one is for the fans – a further vision deeper into Slipknot’s history, which is still being written. Enjoy.”
For over four decades, OVERKILL have been the trailblazers in producing some of the most signature moments in the world of metal. On April 14th, the New Jersey Thrash legends will bludgeon your ears with their twentieth studio album, entitled Scorched via Nuclear Blast Records.
The band offers fans the first taste of the album with the single, The Surgeon. Listeners will enjoy a crash course in OVERKILL 101 featuring blistering vocals, surgically shreddy riffs, galloping drums, and the dirty low-end bass that fans come out of the gutter for. Enjoy the classic sound has made you love the NJ thrash outfit for 40+ years via the visualizer for The Surgeon.
VERKILL Bobby Blitz comments, “Man, it seems like for F-in ever since we chatted!!!! Ha! I tell you what, this is the longest ever between Overkill releases, Feb ’19 to April ’23.
For me, it became my ‘peterpandemic’ go-to. I wrote my part, tore it down, then again and again. I found myself still changing parts while Colin was mixing! It became the normal in a very abnormal time, sanity amongst the insanity. Somewhere in ‘Scorched’ that is all reflected, a common thread, it is the place I went to get what I needed, maybe what “we” needed. It’s different, that’s for sure an old-school approach/mix in a modern world….was it worth the wait? You tell me…….see ya on the road! Horns up!”
Finnish industrial metallers TURMION KÄTILÖT have released their new album Omen X. To celebrate, the band have also revealed a video for their latest single Totuus.
MC Raaka Pee comments on the release of their new album,
“Omen X is the culmination of 20 years of ugly words and terrible thoughts. It features tales about devotion and death. Stories about a mother’s love, violence, and mankind. All these stories are experienced, felt and said out loud. Global Warning was an alert, and now Omen X is the revelation of our disco.”
The hard rock group Pop Evil released the third single, Dead Reckoning (Ft. Fit For A King) from their upcoming album, Skeletons due March 17 via MNRK Heavy. Pre-Order / Pre-Save here: https://popevil.ffm.to/skeletons
The concept and instrumentals for Dead Reckoning were brought to the table by bassist, Joey “Chicago” Walser and co-written with singer, Leigh Kakaty. The producer of Skeletons, Drew Fulk (WZRD BLD), heard the demo and immediately suggested that Ryan Kirby from Fit for a King would be the perfect fit for a vocal collaboration. In describing the song, the band said, “’Dead Reckoning’ is about a clear and unwavering decision a person makes within themselves.”
Having recently finished their hugely successful European tour, BEYOND THE BLACK have released their brand new, self-titled masterpiece Beyond The Black via Nuclear Blast Records. The band also delivers a new music video for the album focus track Free Me.
Jennifer Haben comments:
‘’This album is the epitome of Beyond the Black and it’s arrived finally where it belongs: with our fans! We couldn’t be happier, and today we’re celebrating this release with the powerful, reassuring message of our new single “Free Me“: Never think you need to go out alone and solemnly carry the weight of the world. We’re in this together and we are many!“
Story Of The Year have shared their newest single and music video War, out now via SharpTone Records. With verses that quickly build up to a hard-hitting chorus and wicked guitar riffs, War takes listeners on a journey through a cautionary tale of revenge. The accompanying music video is quintessential Story Of The Year, full of humor and personality, featuring the guys putting on the acting performance of a lifetime.
“’War’ is about a person hellbent on getting revenge and ultimately finding no peace in the process,” shares guitarist Ryan Phillips “Lyrics like ‘this game will kill you in your sleep’ directly refers to the mental toll of trying to get revenge on another person: it winds up consuming you and ultimately destroys any your life and any chance of a present, balanced existence.”
The body count continues to rise as the next chapter in the Horrorwood saga is unleashed from overlords of slashercore, Ice Nine Kills. The arrival of brand new music video for the title track from their chart-topping album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood, heralds the latest installment in the gore-soaked slasher franchise that began in 2018 with the announcement of their album The Silver Scream. The censored version of the Welcome To Horrorwood music video premiered on the enormously popular horror YouTube channel Dead Meat.
Speaking on the latest display of psychotically gratuitous gore and violence, Ice Nine Kills frontman and creative visionary, Spencer Charnas simply shares: “Keep children and the elderly far away from this video.”
Enslaved have released a new single and video from Heimdal, their 16th studio album due out on March 3rd 2023. Forest Dweller launches with progressive splendour, guiding the listener into a churning, psychedelic journey through archaic Norse folklore. One might ask what lessons we can divine from our celestial ancestors? We might never understand their true intentions, but their echo will live on regardless.
Enslaved’s Grutle Kjellson commented:
“To me ‘Forest Dweller’ was the most immediate song on the album, at least in its earliest form as an instrumental demo. I spent quite some time to get into some of the other songs of the album, but this one seemed somehow logical, well logical by Enslaved standards that is. I had an idea for a lyric, and Ivar’s amazing and diverse riffs on this one made it easy to pan out the scripture. I made a rough plan on what to sing over it, and we actually ended up using some parts of those recordings on the album!
The song sort of showcases our representative samples of inspiration: Led Zep, Genesis, Destruction, Iron Maiden and David Bowie, to mention a schizophrenic tapestry of influences. It mirrors in the lyrics as well, which deals about both darkness and light in connection to the nature of Heimdal.”
Finnish newcomers HORIZON IGNITED wrapped up an incredible 6-week European tour last autumn, where they supported HYPOCRISY alongside SEPTICFLESH and THE AGONIST, picking up new fans in droves along the way.
The band are pleased to release a new single Carry Me, which has only previously been included on the vinyl version of their latest album Towards The Dying Lands (released in July 2022).
“When we released our second album Towards The Dying Lands, there was one song that was included only as a vinyl exclusive. It’s a brilliant track with a huge bridge and we decided to play it live during our first ever European tour with Hypocrisy. We quickly noticed that it works in a live setting as well and since then we have all fallen deeply in love with the track, so it brings me much joy to announce the digital release of ´Carry Me´! We hope that this track pleases our fans as much as it pleases us and we can’t wait to play it live again.”
Grammy-nominated Lancaster five-piece August Burns Red — JB Brubaker (lead guitar), Brent Rambler (rhythm guitar), Matt Greiner [drums], Jake Luhrs (vocals), and Dustin Davidson (bass) — have a big year in front of them.
The band will drop its new album Death Below on March 24 via SharpTone Records. Pre-order Death Below here.
They have dropped the video for the new single Backfire.
“Backfire is song that musically is a punch in the face, and we wrote the lyrics to follow suit,” says ABR. “The song is about choosing who you follow wisely, and not allowing people you’ve never met to influence the decisions you make in life. Backfire ticks all the boxes when it comes to an ABR song.”
Greg Mackintosh and Nick Holmes have revealed the latest single from their brand new dark wave project HOST, a pulsing electronic single titled My Only Escape.
The third single from their debut album IX, which will be released on 24th February through Nuclear Blast Records, My Only Escape is yet another display of lush nuance that showcases the band’s vast range of influences.
Vocalist Nick Holmes commented:
“Musically, this track has an intentional repetitive element that builds throughout the song, this is also mirrored in the lyric idea, as in the repetition of an everyday life held in such poor regard. The feeling of actually being physically scared, acts as an acceptable relief from day to day drudgery.”
The Finnish-Hungarian-Greek powerhouse BEAST IN BLACK kick off the new year with a brand-new video release for Blade Runner, another single from their critically acclaimed latest album Dark Connection.
The live performance video, which perfectly captures the band’s mesmerising stage energy, was shot at Rock The Lakes festival in Vallamand, Switzerland, on August 21st 2022. The video was directed by Damien Dausch from Psyrus Studio.
The band comments on the video:
“We returned to Damien Dausch, the ‘king of live video recordings’, to shoot a new music video for the opening track of our latest album, Dark Connection. His unparalleled skills place the watcher in the front row, and even on stage, while we play the explosive track ‘Blade Runner’.”
Swedish symphonic power metallers TWILIGHT FORCE have released their fourth long player, At the Heart of Wintervale. Landing over three years after the band’s previous studio album, their latest opus recounts brand new and exciting stories from the Twilight Kingdoms! Along with the album release, the Swedes have also unveiled a new music video for the album title track At the Heart of Wintervale.
TWILIGHT FORCE comments:
“Rejoice! The eternal wait is over! At the Heart of Wintervale is finally unleashed upon the mortal plane, and all is well again! This creation is the culmination of our immense efforts to bring you along on a journey through the vast realms of the Twilight Kingdoms, and to explore its rich history of myths and magic through a swift and sparkling musical adventure. So come, join us once again on a quest to remember – for today is a day of celebration! May the Power of the Dragon forever guide you!”
The new year has hardly begun, and some great news has already arrived from the far north. Swedish heavy metallers ENFORCER have listened to their fans and revived their classic track Running In Menace. The band has released a fresh, re-recorded version of the track originally released in 2010, launching them into the new year headfirst. Along with the song re-release, the band have revealed a new video, which shows exclusive clips of the Swedes, filmed during their last European tour in spring 2022.
ENFORCER’s Olof Wikstrand comments:
”Let’s kick off the new year with some exclusive stuff! Last year we had an Instagram vote for your favourite album song that we don’t normally play. And the winner was… ‘Running in Menace’ from 2010! So, we decided to include that in our set, but also, we re-recorded the song during a soundcheck in Warsaw and put together a tour video for it. Hope you all enjoy it!”
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